Post-office depository.



No.r 666.038.

Patented lan. I5, I90l.

W. H. TAYLOR. POST-OFFICE DEPDSITURY.

(Application filed Nov. 4, 1899.)

2 Sheets"-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

Dn J Allume] No. 666,038. VPatented 1an. l5, lam. 4w. H; TAYLon.

POST-OFFICE DEPUSITURY.

(Application led Nov. 4, 1899.) I

` 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Modal.)

NVENTOR Allam@ .THE MORRIS PETERS C0 PNO'TO'LITHD., WIASHINGTUN. D. C.

" rrRD STATES PATENT OFFICE..

WARREN H. TAYLOR, OFA STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE YALE & TOWNE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

POST-OFFICE DEPosl-ronv.`

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 666,038, dated January 15, 1901.

Application filed November 4,1899. Serial No. 735,803. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that 1, WARREN H. TAYLOR, of Stamford, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Post-Office Depositories; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in post-office depositories, and is designed particularly for the collection and distribution of mail in suburban or rural districts or in localities not provided with post-offices or the house-to-house delivery system; and it consists in a box divided into a series of compartments, each having an independent door in its front and a sectional door common to all of the compartments at the rear, the saidsectional door forming when open a hood or shield for protecting the mail-matter from the weather.

My invention further consists in a box divided into a series of compartments, each having an independent door at its front, a door common to all of said compartments at the rear, and a flexible curtain covering the series of front doors.

My invention further consists in the parts and combinations of parts, as will be more fully described,and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a vertical sectional view showing the rear door open. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the rear door closed. Fig. 3 is a View in front elevation of the depository with the curtain raised. Fig. 4 is a view in rear elevation of the depository, the rear door being open; and Fig. 5 is a View showing a modified form of curtain.

A represents a box or casing preferably made of metal and provided with a stem d, depending centrally from its bottom and resting loosely within the hollow post b, so that in bad weather the box can be turned, so as to shield the postman and the mail being sorted, collected, or delivered from the weather.

The box or casing is open at its front and rear and is provided interiorly with a series of compartments B, extending from the front to the rear, each compartment being provided at its front with a door C and each door having a suitable and independent lock.

The several doors C closing the fronts of the compartments may be secured to or mounted on a common frame, or, if desired, each compartment may be provided with aframe; but in either event with the several compartments closed each by a lock-door it willbe seen that access thereto from the front can only be gained by the employment of the proper key for each box. p

The lower portion of the box or casing below the lower tier of pigeonholes forms a deposit-box D, into which letters may be deposited for collection. The lower portion of the front is inclined outwardly and provided with a deposit-slot leading to the box D, and the slot is covered normally by the hinged gravity cap or cover c.

The several locks in the doors in the front of the box are normallyclosed and concealed by the hinged plates f, which latter not only protect the key-slotslfrom dust and water, but also serve as handles for closing the doors. The doors C are set back from the front edge of the box or casing, and, if desired, I can provide a flexible curtain E, as shown in Figs. 1,2, and 5, for covering and protecting all the doors. This curtain can be of any approved material, and when made of a leather ora fabric, as shown in Figs. l and 2, can pass upwardly through a slot in the overhanging front of the casing or box and wind on the spring-roller F, located within the compartment formed in the curved top of the box. When the curtain is made of metal slats, as shown in Fig. 5, I connect the slats to an endless apron or bands G, carried by the rollers F F2, located within the top compartment of the box or casing. The rollers are preferably spring-rollers, and while they may be 'constructed to normally hold the curtains up I prefer to have the curtains normally down, the rollers having just tension sufficient to take up the slack of the curtain as it is raised up, but not suiicient power to support it in its open or raised positions. This curtain, whether it be in the form ot' slats or a sheet ICO of fabric or other material, is provided at its lower end with a strip g, the ends of which rest in grooves h in the-sides of the box and hold the curtain in place.

The rear of the box is composed of twosec'- tions H and H', each section comprising a face-platee' and two sides i'. The upper sec-` tion H is hingedl at the inner edge of its face-y plate to the body or casing A, and the lower section H' is hinged at the inner edge of itsL face-plate to the base of the casing, the sides; 1l of the upper and lower sections being of such, length that when open they overlap, as shown in Fig. l, forming a protecting hood or pocket all around the four sides of the pigeonholes or compartments, which not onlyshields the mail from wind or rain while .the box is open, but the face-plate of the lower section forms a table or shelf, which the postal clerk may use for postmarking the mail-matter or canceling the stamps.

The box or casing is provided at its sides between the casing and the outer rows of pigeonholes with recesses for the reception of the sides of the upper and lower sections H H' of the rear door, so that when the rear door is closed, as shown in Fig. 2, these sides are wholly within the box or casing. The outer edge of the face-plate of the upper sectionH o f the rear door overlaps the outer edge ofl the lower face-plate 7l of the section H', and tniis not only forms a closure against the ingress of water, but adords a convenient meansfor locking the two sections of the back in their closed positions. i

The sectional door is held in its open position by the bars or braces J and J', arranged in pairs on the opposite sides ofthe sections. The braces J are each pivoted to the inner face of the upper sideplate atj, near the upper outer end of said plate, while the lower ends are pivoted to the outer faces of the lower side plates at jg, near the upper inner ends of the latter. The other braces. J of each pair are pivoted to the inner faces of the lower side plates i', as shown at k, while their upper ends, which are each provided withan elongated slot 7c', engage pins k2, secured to the inner faces of the sides of the upper section, as shown in Fig. l, With this construction it will be seen that the pivots?? and la of the two braces J and J' of each pairare in line, so that the thrust will be through their centers, thus holding the two sections of the rear door in place.

When the sections are closedpas shown in Fig. 2, by simply dropping the lower section H the upper section will be raised by therods or braces J, and by raising the bottom section the lower pivots ,i2 of the upper rodare thrown inwardly toward' the box, thus caus-I ing the upper section to fall and foldl itself over the upper edge of the face-plate of the lower section. With this arrangement yof parts the several compartments are always accessible to the holders of the keys. therefor, while the series of pigeonholes or compartments are accessible to the person holding the key of the rear door, thus enabling those having a right of access to the box to get at his or their respective compartments Vby thev use of a single key only and also gives the postal employee or other person holding the key to the rear dooraccess to the interior of thebox by the use of a single key. The rear door being composed of two sections, each having side plates, as shown, forms when open a projecting hood or pocket at the rear .ofthe pigeonholes or letter-boxes, which, as before stated,protects the mail being distrib uted or collected. The postalv employee is thus provided with a convenient and pro- -tected support upon which he can sort, cancel, or post-mark the mail Vhe is delivering to the private boxeslin the depository or the mail thathas been deposited therein for delivery..

' I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. ln a depository tor mail-matter a box or casing having a series of compartments therein, a depository below the compartments and an independent door for the vfront of each compartment, of a combined door and hood made in sections So constructed that when closed they form a closure for the rear of the compartments and depository and when open forma projecting hood.

2.` In a depository for mail-matter, the combination with a casing or box having a series of compartments therein, and an independent door closing the front of each compartment, ofy a sectional door common to all the compartments and closing the rear of the box or casing, the said sections composing `said door being independently hinged to the box and connected together so as to move'in unison.

3. In a depository for mail-matter, the combination with a box or casing revolubly mounted on a post or support and provided with a series of compartmentsLand an independentdoor for the front of each compartment, of a sectional door at the rear of the box or casing, and common to the entreseries of compartments, the said sections composing the reardoor being each independently hinged to the box and connected together se as to 4move in unison. i

4. i In a depository for mail-matter, the combination with la box or :casing revolubly mounted on a post or other support and provided With a series of compartments, andan independent lock-door for the frontof each compartment, of a sectional door common to all. offsaidfcompartments, and adapted when open, to form a protected compartment at IOO IIO

the rear of the box and means connecting said sections of the door whereby they are caused to move in unison.

5. In a depository for mail-matter, the combination with a box or casing having a series of compartments and a lock-door for the front of each compartment, of a sectional rear door covering the rear ends of the compartments, each section of the rear door consisting of a face-plate and two side plates, and means for holding said sections in their open positions.

6. In a depository for mail-matter, the conibination with a box or casing having a series of compartments and a lock-door for the front of each compartment, of a rear door composed of two sections one section beinghinged to the top of the box or casing and the other to the lower end of the box, each section comprising a face-plate and two side plates, and means for holding said sections in their open positions.

7. In adepositoryacombiued door and hood made in sections, the sections being so constructed that when closed they form a door or closure for one face of the depository and when open form a projecting hood for protecting the inside of the depository against the weather.

S. In a depository the combination with a casing havinga series of compartments therein, of a sectional door located at the rear of the compartments so as to expose said compartments when open, each section of said rear door being hinged to the casing and means connecting the sections whereby they are caused to move in unison.

9. In a depository the combination with a casing having a series of compartments, of a sectional door for closing the rear ends of the depository whereby it may be rotated horizontally.

l1. A post-office depository open at one side and inclosing a series of small doors, a pair of doors hinged to the casing at opposite edges of the open side and adapted to swing outward, each of these doors being provided with flanges or extensions adapted when the doors are open to form the opposite Walls of a hood of which the doors form the remaining walls, said flanges being adapted to fold into the casing when the doors are closed.

12. A post-office depository comprising a casing open at one side and inclosing a series of small boxes, a pair of doors hinged respectively at the upper and lower edges of said open side, the ends of these doors being provided with flanges adapted when the doors are open to form the opposite side Walls of a protected compartment, said llanges being adapted to fold into the casing and overlap at their ends, and links connecting each pair of adjacent flanges.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WARREN H. TAYLOR.

Witnesses:

SCHUYLER MERRITT, HENRY C. TAYLOR. 

